Two To Tango
by OdangoHead
Summary: *Complete* Mamoru is invited to a party at his dance instructor's mansion. One problem, Usagi is his date but, they don't always get along & she's never danced before. Can he teach her all he knows in only a week? *SM belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, not me.*
1. Chapter 1

Two To Tango – Part 1  
  
"Do you understand?" Mamoru looked up from textbook to the small, golden- haired teenager sitting beside him.  
  
"No!" Usagi cried out in frustration.  
  
"Do you want me to explain it again?"  
  
"Will it help?"  
  
"Maybe. I still don't understand why you aren't studying with Ami and the other girls."  
  
"Because, you've done all of this before, and you owe me. You said you would help me with my homework for the entire year." She smiled sweetly. "That's why."  
  
"It was your fault anyway, I mean, who runs around a corner without even looking?"  
  
"Who decides to tie their shoe when they are right around a corner?"  
  
"Ah!"  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"That man over there, the one with the moustache, I've been trying to avoid him all week. Oh no. He's coming over this way."  
  
"What's the big deal? He look's like he's 50 years old, It's not like he's going to beat you up." Usagi teased him.  
  
"Good afternoon Edwards!"  
  
"Good afternoon Mamoru. And who may I ask is this lovely young lady?"  
  
"Oh, pardon me. Edwards, this is Tsukino Usagi, Usagi, this is Edwards."  
  
"I'm pleased to meet you."  
  
"The pleasure's all mine." Edwards bent down and kissed Usagi's hand. "So, Mamoru, do you think that you'll be able to make it on the 17th?"  
  
"Well sir, about that… I would like to go but I-"  
  
"What Mamoru is trying to say is that he doesn't want to go."  
  
"Nonsense, of course I'm going to go! I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find a date, but I have a feeling that will change."  
  
"Wonderful! After all, a date is a must, it takes 2 to tango, you know. I'll see you there!" He walked away.  
  
"Why are you grinning like that?"  
  
"I wasn't lying, I was trying to get out of going to his party because I didn't have a date. But, now you are going to be my date, so I can go."  
  
"Cool! He looks loaded, is it going to be a big formal party?"  
  
"You bet! Do you have any idea why I didn't have a date?"  
  
"No."  
  
"I didn't want one, you see, I can't go if I don't have a date, & I didn't want to go. That man, Edwards, is my dance instructor."  
  
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Usagi couldn't keep it in she burst into hysterical laughter. "You dance? YOU dance?" She started laughing even more.  
  
"I've been dancing since I was young, do you dance?" Mamoru started laughing.  
  
"No."  
  
"Well," He started laughing harder. "You do now! YOU are going to be my date, and YOU are going to learn how to dance."  
  
"You ARE kidding, right?"  
  
"Oh, I'm SO not kidding!"  
  
"Alright, but the jokes on you, because I'm a total klutz!"  
  
"Maybe so, but I have a feeling that you'll be different when you dance."  
  
"Okay then, when do I start, and who is going to teach me?"  
  
"We'll start after you finish your homework, & I'm going to teach you."  
  
"Oh boy, this will be fun."  
  
  
  
"Finished!" Usagi said triumphantly as she put down her pen and slammed the cover over her textbook closed.  
  
"Great, let's go."  
  
"Hello Usagi-chan, Mamoru-san, what are you up to?" Minako greeted as she and Rei walked into Crown just as Mamoru and Usagi were standing up to leave.  
  
"Nothing much, I was just helping Odango with her homework, as always!"  
  
"Oh, yeah." Rei said with a grin.  
  
"Well, we've got to be going now, see you around!" Usagi said cheerfully.  
  
"You two are actually spending time together when it isn't completely necessary?" Minako asked, obviously wondering why these two enemies were spending so much time together.  
  
"Oh, believe me, this is necessary!" Mamoru gave a wink to the two speechless girls before putting his hand on Usagi's back and guided her out of the building.  
  
"Oh… My… Gosh!" Minako exclaimed. "Did you see that?"  
  
"I certainly did!" Rei replied. "They are totally digging on each other!"  
  
"They seemed pretty eager to leave…" Minako started.  
  
"Minako! Stop thinking things like that all the time. Get your mind out of the gutter, because I know that's where it is right now."  
  
"I wonder, is it possible that they are secretly dating?"  
  
"I doubt it. You know Usagi can't keep her mouth shut about anything, it wouldn't be possible for them to stay a secret for more then 5 minutes."  
  
"Yeah. Never-the-less, we have to find out more about this, let's go tell the other girls!" 


	2. Prologue

Two To Tango - Prologue  
  
It was a bright and sunny morning and Mamoru was walking to Crown to visit his best friend Motoki like he did every morning. 'I'm so tired still, that coffee will do me good.' He thought as he glanced down at his watch. 'Hmm… I'm about a minute or two early… Hey! My shoe's untied.' Mamoru had started looking forward to his daily encounters with the spirited blonde, Usagi, or as he liked to call her, Odango Atama. It probably sounds a little strange and twisted, but crashing into that girl every morning made his day. He loved to tease her. As he was tying up his shoe, he heard the all to familiar sound of hurried footsteps on the pavement… Usagi's footsteps.  
  
Usagi rounded the corner outside of Crown; she was making good time, but was still late. A split second after she rounded the corner she heard a familiar voice.  
  
"Odango! No!" Mamoru cried out.  
  
She was running full speed still and by the time she looked down to see Mamoru on the ground still tying his shoe, it was to late. She tripped right over him and landed hard on her right side. "Ow!" was all she managed to say before she blacked out.  
  
  
  
"Motoki! Help!" Mamoru gasped as he rushed into Crown.  
  
A man with dark blonde hair hopped over the counter in an instant to take the unconscious girl from his friend's arms. "Mamoru, what happened?" He asked the man with the black hair and dark blue eyes.  
  
He quickly explained what had happened as they set Usagi down in one of the booths. "I think something is really wrong, I think that she is actually hurt. She shouldn't have been unconscious for so long."  
  
"Is she breathing?"  
  
"Of course I'm breathing." Usagi said as she started to come to. "OW!" she cried out.  
  
"What's wrong? Where does it hurt?" Asked Motoki.  
  
"My head and my hip." She replied.  
  
"Here, let me see." Mamoru moved closer to her and put his hand on her right hip. "Here?"  
  
"How DARE you! Don't touch me!" She shrieked and brought up her arm to slap him. "AHHH!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"MY WRIST!"  
  
"Come on, let me see. I'm a med student you know."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"I think it's broken, we should get you to a hospital, I don't like the look of your head wound either. Motoki, can I use your car?"  
  
"Sure!" Motoki tossed Mamoru his keys and watched and he picked up Usagi carefully and walked out the door. "Those two would make a really great couple."  
  
  
  
"Wake up Usagi-chan!" Minako said cheerfully. "How are you doing?"  
  
"Pretty good, I guess." Usagi replied as she struggled to sit up a bit in her hospital bed.  
  
"What all is wrong with you?" Asked Makoto.  
  
"I have a bruised hip, a broken wrist and a concussion." Usagi said matter- of-factly.  
  
"Ha, ha, ha!" Rei started laughing at her friend's injuries. "Only our Odango Atama could get so injured by being late for school!" The other girls started laughing too, including Usagi.  
  
"We better get back to our schools, our lunch breaks will be over soon. We'll see you after school, okay?" Ami smiled.  
  
"Alright." Usagi smiled back.  
  
  
  
"Knock-knock. Can I come in?"  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Usagi, I'm so sorry."  
  
"Good. You finally learned my name!"  
  
"Um… yeah… I brought you some flowers."  
  
"That's sweet. But you know that you still owe me… BIG."  
  
Mamoru sighed. "I know." 


	3. Chapter 2

Two To Tango – Part 2  
  
"Wow! Is this really your apartment?" Usagi was amazed to see such a clean apartment, especially a guy's apartment. "Mako-chan's isn't even this neat!"  
  
"Well, I try!" He replied with a smile.  
  
"You seem different lately…"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"No, really! You're a lot nicer than the Chiba Mamoru I know."  
  
"I could say the same for you." He laughed a bit when he saw her blush. "But I'm not going to!"  
  
"Oh, you!" she playfully punched him in the shoulder. 'OMG! Usagi! What do you think you are doing? Are you seriously flirting with Mamoru?'  
  
"Anyway… come over here, we might as well get started."  
  
"Okay." Usagi walked closer to him, but still stood about a foot away. He took a step forward, & she took one backwards.  
  
"Usagi-chan, this won't work if you stay so far away. Haven't you ever seen people dancing? They don't stand there a foot apart from each other."  
  
"Alright." She started to inch forward a bit more. 'Why is he suddenly calling me Usagi-chan?'  
  
'She sure is taking her sweet time. That's it!' Mamoru reached out and pulled her to him, she gasped in sudden shock but she didn't fight it.  
  
"Now what?" Usagi looked up into his eyes, blue met blue and they just stood there, Mamoru's hands were still on her shoulders. She very slowly started to go on tiptoe as he started to lean down to kiss her.  
  
'AH! Snap out of it Mamoru!' He snapped back into reality and out of the trance that Usagi's blue eyes put him in. "Ahem. Now we start with basic steps."  
  
"O-Okay." She stuttered. 'That was so weird.'  
  
  
  
"Very good! I think there's promise for you yet, Miss Tsukino!"  
  
"Why thank you, Mr. Chiba!"  
  
"Ha ha ha! Okay, are you ready to try it with me instead of a chair?"  
  
"I think that I am. Although, the chair's gonna be a pretty hard partner to top, do you think you have what it takes?"  
  
"I'll let you decide that, since you seem to be such an expert."  
  
"Of course! After all, you've merely had years of experience, I on the other hand, have had hours!"  
  
"Okay! Here we go!" He reached out his hand and Usagi grabbed a hold of it. He spun her gently and she ended in his arms exactly as they had planned. With her other hand on his back and his around her waist the slowly started the steps he had just taught her. "You're doing wonderful, are you sure you have never danced like this before?"  
  
"Almost positive, but then again… do you ever get déjà vu?"  
  
"Didn't you just ask me that?"  
  
"Seriously."  
  
"If I answered, would you promise not to freak out?"  
  
"I… guess… so."  
  
"Well yes, this is giving me déjà vu. I feel like I've danced with you a thousand times before."  
  
"Me too. Um… Mamoru-san, what time is it?"  
  
"5:43."  
  
"I've gotta go! I told the girls that I'd meet them for supper today at Crown… at 5:45!"  
  
"Here, I'll drive you, I'll say hi to Motoki while I'm there."  
  
"Thank you so much!"  
  
"No problem! But, Usagi-chan, don't tell anyone, okay? No one knows that I dance."  
  
"Really? Don't worry, your secret's safe with me!"  
  
  
  
"Thanks again Mamoru-san. I had a good time."  
  
"Me too, you're a very fast learner. So, same time tomorrow?"  
  
"You bet!" Without thinking Usagi hopped up on her tiptoes and kissed Mamoru on the cheek. They both blushed a little and Usagi turned and ran over to her friends' table as Mamoru walked over to Motoki who was at the counter.  
  
"Okay Mamoru, spill!" Motoki said as Mamoru sat down on a stool. "What was that about?"  
  
"That was nothing." Mamoru replied, he didn't really know why she had kissed him.  
  
"She kissed you." Motoki said with a grin.  
  
"On the cheek." Mamoru pointed out.  
  
"What were you two doing together anyway?"  
  
"Nothing. We were just hanging out."  
  
"Sure you were." Motoki said with a roll of his eyes.  
  
  
  
"What's up with that Usagi-chan?" Makoto asked as soon as Usagi arrived at the table, which wasn't very far from where she had just stood with Mamoru.  
  
"What?" Usagi asked innocently, her cheeks still slightly pink.  
  
"You just kissed Mamoru-san goodbye." Minako pointed out.  
  
"You said you had a good time. I thought you 2 hated each other." Ami added.  
  
"Yeah, and what did he mean earlier when he said it was necessary for you two to be together?" Rei asked.  
  
"Number 1: it was just on the cheek, Number 2: Mamoru-san isn't such a bad guy. He's pretty nice once you get to know him, and Number 3: it was necessary… we had to study."  
  
"If you were still studying, why did you have to leave?" Ami asked.  
  
"We were going to the library."  
  
"Ha! Yeah right! Usagi? In a library?" Rei teased.  
  
"Are we gonna eat or not?"  
  
"Alright, but don't think we're letting you off easy." Minako smiled.  
  
The girls couldn't help but notice the glances that their friend was exchanging with the black-haired man sitting over at the counter. First, she glanced over at him, their eyes made contact and he seemed to worried about something, she smiled and winked as if to say 'don't worry, everything's under control' & he just smiled back at her and continued talking to Motoki. After she had turned away the other girls noticed Mamoru look back at her one more time with a little grin on his face.  
  
  
  
"Bye Ami! Bye Rei! Bye Minako!" Usagi and Makoto called as the 3 girls left after they finished their meals. Ami had to study, Rei had chores at the shrine, and Minako had to baby-sit.  
  
"I guess I better get home too. My apartment is a mess, I have to clean." Makoto said.  
  
"I'll see you Monday at school!"  
  
"Usagi-chan!" Mamoru called.  
  
Hearing him call her Usagi-chan made Makoto stop. 'Since when does he call her Usagi-chan? He's always called her Odango Atama.'  
  
"Yes, Mamoru-san?"  
  
"Are you leaving now?"  
  
"Yes, I think I will."  
  
"I'll give you a ride home if you'd like."  
  
"Thank you." She smiled.  
  
They left together and Makoto and Motoki just stood there incredibly confused. "What on Earth is going on between those two?" Motoki asked. Makoto just shrugged her shoulders & shook her head.  
  
  
  
"I think you should know, in case you don't remember from earlier, this party is on the 17th." Mamoru said as they got into his car.  
  
"That means that we have less than a week." Usagi said.  
  
"Yep. Six more days."  
  
"Do you think we can pull it off?"  
  
"Yeah, we should be okay, we work well together. Speaking of which, do you understand what is going to be on your test tomorrow?" Mamoru asked her; after all, he still had to help her study, even though they were going to be focussing on dancing for the next week.  
  
"For the first time in my life, I do!" She said cheerfully.  
  
"Great! I'll see you tomorrow!" He smiled.  
  
"Bye!" Usagi called as Mamoru drove off. 'I can't believe it! I'm actually looking forward to a test. Would Ami ever freak if she heard me say that!' 


	4. Chapter 3

Two To Tango – Part 3  
  
"Ami-chan! Wake up Ami-chan!" Usagi was kneeling on the ground next to her blue-haired friend and shaking her repeatedly.  
  
"Usagi-chan? What's wrong with Ami-chan?" Makoto ran over to the two girls.  
  
"She passed out."  
  
"Was she just walking and then passed out or did something happen?"  
  
"Um… I showed her my mark on my test and she just passed out."  
  
"Was it a lower than possible grade? Let me see." Makoto grabbed the paper from Usagi's hand and her eyes bugged out of her head when she saw the mark. "Eighty-seven percent! No way! How on Earth did you pull this off Usagi-chan? Isn't your average mark on tests a 30?"  
  
"Yes… but Mamoru-san is a great teacher. Hey! She's coming to!"  
  
"Us-a-gi-ch-an st-op sha-king me!" Ami managed to say as Usagi was still shaking her.  
  
"Oops! Sorry Ami-chan! Are you alright?"  
  
"I'm just in shock I guess. That's a really good grade Usagi. I'm proud of you."  
  
"Thank you!" Usagi said cheerfully. The 3 girls talked for a while longer, but they were interrupted by the sound of someone honking.  
  
"Who's that?" Makoto asked looking around.  
  
"Mamoru-san! Over here!" Usagi called. He parked his car and got out. "Look what I got on my test!"  
  
"I've gotta see this! Since it isn't in a ball, and you aren't throwing it at me, it has to be a good mark!" He grinned at her, it was still hilarious to tease her, as long as she didn't get to upset, since they were friends now. She stuck her tongue out at him and handed him the paper.  
  
"See?"  
  
Mamoru was surprised. "Congratulations Usagi-chan!"  
  
Ami looked over at Makoto when she heard him say 'Usagi-chan,' Makoto just shrugged her shoulders. When they looked back their mouths dropped when they saw that Mamoru and Usagi were hugging.  
  
"Good job! I knew you could do it!" Mamoru spun Usagi in a circle, while she squealed desperately trying to let her feet touch the ground. When he stopped he helped Usagi steady herself and then asked her, "Are you ready to go?"  
  
"Yep! Bye girls! I'll see you later, or maybe tomorrow!" Usagi called as she started to walk towards Mamoru's car.  
  
"You're going?" Ami asked in disbelief.  
  
"Yeah, I've still got some work to do." Usagi said as she climbed into Mamoru's car beside him. With a skeptical look from Ami, and a devious one from Makoto, she closed the door and they drove off.  
  
  
  
"Are your parent's home right now?" Mamoru's question caught Usagi off- guard.  
  
"Um… I don't think so." She replied.  
  
"Can we make a short stop at your house then?"  
  
"I guess so." Usagi wondered why it mattered if anyone was home at her house, she suddenly felt a bit nervous being alone with him.  
  
Once they got to her room Usagi was relieved, Mamoru wanted to see if she had any clothes to wear to the party on Saturday, he figured that a 16-year old wouldn't have many formal dresses. She had 2, one that hadn't fit her since she was 12, and another that would be too uncomfortable to dance in.  
  
"Okay then. Do you want to go shopping, Usagi-chan?"  
  
"Are you serious? You're taking me shopping? No way! This is so cool!"  
  
  
  
"Are you gay?" Usagi asked Mamoru as they walked out of their last store with shoes and a beautiful dress that he had picked out for her.  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
Usagi blushed slightly. "I'm sorry, it's just that, you don't have a girlfriend, you like to dance, and you're shopping for dresses and shoes, and you're damn good at it I might add!"  
  
"No." Mamoru laughed. "I am most definitely not gay!"  
  
"How do I know you aren't just saying that? I won't care if you are, I always thought that it would be cool to have a guy friend that was gay."  
  
"I'm not gay! Do you want me to prove it?"  
  
"Yeah." She knew he wasn't gay, but seeing him get frustrated was always good for a laugh. Her mouth was suddenly too busy to laugh and she realized that Mamoru was kissing her. Usagi, who had never been kissed before, wasn't sure what to do, but she kissed back.  
  
"Wow! Okay! I believe you!" Usagi was reeling from the incredibly passionate kiss. 'Who would've thought that I would enjoy kissing Mamoru so much? Are all of his kisses like this, or is this one just special because he was trying to prove he wasn't gay?'  
  
"Usagi!"  
  
Usagi slowly turned around. She recognized that voice anywhere, Rei. "Hi girls." She said as her cheeks turned a dark pink.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" Rei scolded.  
  
"Don't be such a mother!"  
  
"It's not the way it looks!"  
  
"Yeah! I thought he was gay!" Usagi shouted, rather loudly. Mamoru turned red and hid his face with his hand as he heard the 4 girls start to giggle a bit.  
  
"Usagi-chan!" He pleaded quietly to her. "Can we please go and spare ourselves further embarrassment?"  
  
"Definitely!"  
  
"Wait! Usagi-chan! What's going on?" Ami yelled.  
  
"Yeah! And what kind of dumb excuse is: 'I thought he was gay?'" Minako called after them.  
  
"Hey look! They dropped the receipt from one of their bags!" Makoto pointed out. Minako quickly ran over and picked it up.  
  
"Look at this! It seems Mamoru just spent a whole lot of money in this shop." Giggled Minako.  
  
"On what?" Rei asked.  
  
"A dress, and it's Usagi's size." Minako said.  
  
"Interesting!" Makoto laughed.  
  
  
  
"Hurry up Usagi-chan!" Mamoru called through the closed door.  
  
"OK, I'm coming out!" Usagi called and slowly opened the door.  
  
Mamoru stood back to give her enough room, and couldn't believe his eyes. "Wow!" Was all he could say. 'Usagi is beautiful!' was what he was actually thinking.  
  
"Does it look okay?" Usagi asked shyly.  
  
"Y-you look great, terrific actually." He finally managed to say. "But go change back, we don't want anything to happen to the dress before the party."  
  
"Of course!"  
  
As Mamoru waited for Usagi to finish changing he thought to himself, 'I never realized how pretty she was. And there is something about her, she seems so familiar, and even when we are teasing each other I'm happy to be around her.'  
  
Meanwhile Usagi was fixing her hair in the mirror and she wondered to herself, 'What's going on between us? I've never felt this way before, about anyone. I like being with him, something I never thought I would say. And that kiss… and what about the way he just looked at me when I showed him what I looked like in the dress?'  
  
"These shoes are hard to walk in." Usagi complained as she walked over to Mamoru.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get used to it."  
  
"I hope so, at least in time for Saturday. Today's Tuesday, that means that we only have 4 more days."  
  
"I know. Let's continue where we left off yesterday, shall we?" He took her hand and led her to the area of the floor that he had cleared out for dancing.  
  
"Which one is this again?"  
  
"This is the waltz."  
  
"What were we doing on Monday?"  
  
"That was just basic dancing, it wasn't really anything in particular."  
  
"Oh!"  
  
"Do you realize that we're dancing in perfect time to each other and aren't even trying to or paying attention?"  
  
"Really?" She asked as they moved gracefully around the floor in perfect unison.  
  
"It's like we're one person." Mamoru and Usagi suddenly said at the same time.  
  
"That was a pretty good refresher from yesterday." Mamoru said. "I can't believe that you learned how to waltz in just over one day."  
  
"What now?"  
  
"Now, we keep practicing."  
  
"Oh."  
  
  
  
"You know, you're a very graceful dancer for someone who's usually such a klutz."  
  
"Thanks, I guess."  
  
"Well, I guess we can call it a night, it's almost eight."  
  
"Yeah, hey, Mamoru-san… do you want to get something to eat? You bought me that dress, the least I can do is buy you dinner."  
  
"That sounds fair, thanks Usagi-chan." 


	5. Chapter 4

Two To Tango – Part 4  
  
"How can you eat so much?" Mamoru laughed in disbelief as Usagi shoveled in her food. It was Friday, the day before the party, and they another late dinner together, this time they decided to go to Crown.  
  
"I always get really hungry after exercise, and we had quite a workout, wouldn't you agree?" Usagi said, Mamoru just nodded in agreement. "I mean, once we started we didn't stop for like, 4 hours!" Usagi continued, completely oblivious to Mamoru's cues to stop talking.  
  
"What's this I hear?" Motoki asked. He had walked up to their table at Crown and had been standing behind Usagi as she talked.  
  
Usagi froze. Mamoru sighed. Neither of them knew what to say. Sure, the truth was so innocent compared to what Motoki must be thinking, but Mamoru wanted to keep dancing a secret for whatever reason. She made a mental note to ask him some other time, when they were alone.  
  
"You 2 are awfully close nowadays, aren't you?"  
  
"It's not what you think." Usagi was starting to feel déjà vu again, but she knew where this had happened before, just a few days ago in the mall.  
  
"Yeah, we…" Mamoru's head raced with excuses, but none of them were really good. "Went for a run… in the park." Usagi nodded her head in agreement.  
  
"For 4 hours? What do you think I am, stupid? I know that's not what you were doing, the girls showed up here today." He grinned. "They wouldn't stop talking about the strangest thing that they saw in the mall on Tuesday. Oh yeah, they gave me this to give to you… they said it fell out of one of the bags you had with you." Motoki reached in his pocket, pulled out the receipt for the dress and handed it to Mamoru.  
  
"Oh dear." Usagi gulped.  
  
"You two went shopping together? Mamoru, you're acting like a typical whipped boyfriend!"  
  
"We're not dating!" Mamoru replied in their defense. Motoki met him with a skeptical grin.  
  
"It's true!" Usagi chimed in.  
  
"So, just 'cause you're not dating doesn't mean that all of our little facts don't point to something." Motoki winked and laughed.  
  
"Motoki!" Mamoru's eyes were wide with shock, he couldn't believe that he would think something like that. Even though that's what it sounded like, he knew him better than anyone, he knew that Mamoru wouldn't ever start sneaking around with a girl and do a whole bunch of stuff when they weren't even dating. "It really is a big misunderstanding, Usagi-chan and I are just friends, nothing more."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"There's another thing! Usagi-chan, & Mamoru-san. Whatever happened to good old Odango Atama & Mamoru-baka?"  
  
"We're friends now and we don't want to insult each other."  
  
"Yeah, you two sure are close nowadays." Motoki was still grinning. "Ok, fine! I'll believe you, but at least tell me what was up with the kiss! I hear it was pretty intense!"  
  
Mamoru sighed. "Usagi-chan said I was gay! I had to prove her wrong!"  
  
Motoki and Usagi both burst into laughter. They couldn't resist it; Mamoru sounded like a child pleading his case to his teacher when he got in trouble.  
  
"So that's it? There really isn't anything going on between you two?" Mamoru and Usagi both shook their heads. "Too bad! I think you'd make a great couple." Motoki finished as he stood up to tend to some new customers. Usagi and Mamoru blushed a little at the mention of them being a couple.  
  
"This just keeps getting worse and worse doesn't it?" Mamoru asked Usagi with a smile.  
  
"I guess so, although it probably won't be as bad after Saturday. We won't have to make up stupid excuses as to why we're spending so much time together."  
  
"True. At least Motoki believes us, your friends an the other hand… they'll take a lot more convincing."  
  
"Oh yeah." Usagi agreed. "So… when did you first start dancing?"  
  
"I guess I was about 10 years old. My foster family was really into dancing, the parents were champions and they taught their kids and when I arrived, they taught me too. After I turned 17 I moved out and got my apartment but I kept dancing until just recently when University was getting tougher & I had to spend more time working and studying."  
  
"Cool." Usagi said. Then suddenly a thought struck her. "Wait a second! Foster family? What happened to your parents?"  
  
"They were killed in a car accident on my 6th birthday. I lost my memory in the accident, so I don't even remember them…" Mamoru trailed off. He was looking out the window up at the full moon in the sky.  
  
Usagi watched him and a tear rolled down her cheek. "Mamoru-chan, I had no idea… are you okay?"  
  
"Yes, I'm fine, it's just that, I've never told anyone before, not even Motoki. Actually, the only other person who knows other than the doctors and such at the hospital was a boy I met while I was there."  
  
"Really? Tell me about him." Usagi was curious about this side of Mamoru she'd never seen before.  
  
"I don't really remember much, he was discharged a not long after I got to the hospital, a week, 2 at the most. The day he left I remember, I was crying in my room when a little girl walked in, she was probably about three years old," Mamoru smiled. "She made me feel better and she gave me a rose as a symbol of our friendship, and so that I could give it to my friend so that he could remember me."  
  
Usagi smiled at him. "Why was she in the hospital?" She already knew the answer.  
  
"Her mom just had a baby and she was bringing flowers to her. I wish I could see her again, she really helped me feel happy, even though I only was with her for a few minutes. Too bad I don't remember her name…"  
  
"Mamoru-chan, it was me." Usagi smiled as a few more tears rolled down her cheeks. "I was the little girl, the girl from the hospital, my mom just had my brother Shingo!"  
  
"It was you? Usagi-chan?" Mamoru looked away from the window and towards Usagi. He remembered the little blonde girl with odango hair that rested her head on his knee and gave him a flower. Her big blue eyes and her cheerful smile when she told him that he wouldn't be alone because she would be his friend. "It was you!" He smiled, he stared into her deep blue eyes like he had never seen their color before. He felt that if he looked away now, she would disappear for another 12 years.  
  
"Mamoru-chan." Usagi blushed and looked down at her milkshake. She could still feel him staring at her. She quickly finished the last sip. "Do you want to go now? You teased me about eating so fast, but you finished long before me." She joked, looking back up at him.  
  
"Sure." He replied, he seemed to be off in another world, he seemed unbelievably happy. They waved goodbye to Motoki as they left. He didn't say anything again until they were walking down the street towards his car. "Do you want to go home yet?" He asked Usagi as he put his hand on her shoulder to stop her from walking.  
  
"No."  
  
"Then let's go to the park."  
  
"Alright."  
  
"I don't really understand why, but I don't want to be away from you right now."  
  
"I want to stay with you too." Usagi smiled.  
  
They walked off to the park ended up standing by a small pond, looking at all of the flowers that seemed to sparkle in the moonlight, their petals wet from the sprinklers that had recently been turned off. "Look! Roses." He pointed to a section of deep red flowers. Usagi looked, but her gaze soon focussed on Mamoru. His eyes met hers and they walked closer to each other. Finally they put their arms around each other and hugged.  
  
They stood there, holding each other for a while when Usagi noticed something… 'Is Mamoru crying?' She thought to herself. She shifted her head from where it had been nestled in his shoulder to see his face. He was, not a lot, but he still was crying. Then again, so was she. She pulled away a bit so that she was standing in front of him, his arms were still around her and one of her arms rested on one of his. With her other hand, she reached up and gently touched his face, wiping away the tears. She smiled at him and quietly whispered, "Mamo-chan."  
  
He in return brushed her tears away as well and he pulled her closer again to kiss her. "Usako." He whispered just before their lips met. A soft, gentle kiss, shared by 2 soul mates, destined to be together eternally. They finished their kiss, but they still held on to each other.  
  
  
  
It was about 10:00, Mamoru and Usagi had been in the park for about an hour and a half, and they were now walking to his car so that she could be home before her curfew at 10:30. "I don't want the night to end yet, Mamo-chan." Usagi said as she held tightly onto Mamoru's arm.  
  
"Me neither, Usako." He replied with a sorrowful sigh.  
  
Their tender moment was interrupted by an all-to-familiar voice. "Mamoru- san? Usagi?" Rei asked in disbelief. "Is that you?"  
  
"Rei? What are you doing out right now?"  
  
"I left a textbook at Mako-chan's the other day and so I went to go pick it up. I know you 2 are busy, so I won't keep you, but…" Rei had a sneaky grin on her face. "I couldn't help but hear your conversation as I was walking this way. If you 2 want to hang out for longer… you can tell your parents that you're sleeping-over at my place, Usagi." She finished off with a wink. "Since I don't have a phone, your mom won't be able to check to see if you really are there or not. Think about it. You're welcome to stay over anyway, but I won't wait up." She waved goodbye as she walked away towards the Shrine.  
  
"Hmm…" Usagi started.  
  
"Hmm…" Mamoru replied, looking over to Usagi, trying to figure out her thoughts. He figured it out quickly and handed her his cell phone so she could call her parents.  
  
"Hello, Mom? It's Usagi. Can I sleep over at Rei's tonight?" She paused as she listened to the reply. "Thanks mom, and she has some pajamas and stuff so I'm not going to bother coming home to pack up my stuff. Bye-bye!" She hung up the phone and looked up at Mamoru. They smiled, both had the same devious twinkle in their eyes. 


	6. Chapter 5

Two To Tango – Part 5  
  
They stared at each other for only a minute before running to the car and speeding off. "Yay! A whole night with just us, nobody will be popping up and wondering what we're doing together." Usagi squealed and looked over at Mamoru who was laughing at how cute she was.  
  
They arrived at Mamoru's apartment building in record time. 'You better not go to far.' Mamoru warned himself. 'It could ruin your relationship before it even started.'  
  
'Watch yourself Usagi. Don't get carried away, it could wreck everything.' She warned herself.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile…  
  
"Hello Rei-chan!"  
  
"Hello Motoki-san! Hi Minako-chan!" Rei greeted the two blondes as she walked into Crown on her way home to Hikawa Shrine. "It's really starting to come down out there." She commented, looking out the window at the rain.  
  
"We were just talking about that, do you want a ride home? I'm going to be giving Minako-chan one, so it won't be a problem."  
  
"Really? Thanks."  
  
The three of them talked for a while longer before deciding to go home. "Oh, hang one sec, I forgot something." Motoki left the two girls in his car and ran back into Crown. He soon returned with something is his hand and they drove off. "I just have to drop this off first, is that ok?"  
  
"Fine with us. What is it?"  
  
"Mamoru's wallet. He left it when he and Usagi-chan were here today."  
  
"We're going to Mamoru-san's apartment? Why can't you just give it to him tomorrow?" Rei asked with a slight panic to her voice. If Usagi was caught over at Mamoru's & Rei was there, she might think that Rei told.  
  
"Why does it matter, Rei-chan? I'm sure Mamoru-san won't mind, it's not that late, and besides, he might be worrying about where his wallet is."  
  
"I'm sure that he isn't even thinking about his wallet right now!"  
  
"Do you know something we don't?"  
  
"No?" Rei replied meekly.  
  
"Come on, we're about to find out anyway, we're here."  
  
"He's probably busy."  
  
"What could he be doing now? It's 11:00." Minako and Motoki both suddenly gasped, realizing something that he could be doing at this time of night.  
  
"Hey! What's going on?" Minako pointed to the elevator.  
  
  
  
Usagi and Mamoru were kissing in the elevator as it went up towards Mamoru's 10th floor apartment. Suddenly, somewhere between the 5th and 6th floors, it jerked to a stop. "What's going on?" The lights were out too.  
  
"I don't know." Mamoru replied. "Probably a black out from the storm."  
  
"Hmm… I hate storms. I hate the lighting and the thunder. At least we can't hear it in here." No sooner did she finish saying the sentence, she heard thunder, it was faint, but she still heard it & it scared her. "Mamo-chan!" She ran to his arms.  
  
"It's ok, don't worry, I'm here." He whispered into her hair and hugged her close. She looked up at him and she kissed him. They couldn't hold back their feelings anymore.  
  
Soon, Usagi had her back up against the wall and Mamoru was leaning against it with arm, and they were kissing passionately. They stopped to catch their breath for about ten seconds before Usagi grabbed him by the collar of his shirt with both hands and pulled him back to her.  
  
The lights flickered and turned back on but they hardly noticed. The elevator was still, for some reason it wouldn't move, but they didn't care.  
  
  
  
"Excuse me?" Rei asked a man that was working on the elevator. "Will this take long, or should we just come back tomorrow?" The two blondes were standing behind her waiting for the man to reply. Rei was hoping that he'd say that they should come back tomorrow, that would at least give Usagi some time to get out of there.  
  
"This shouldn't take long, the power is back on, but the elevator isn't moving for some reason. It's as if someone hit the emergency stop button after the power went back on."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Let's take the stairs. It'll be faster than waiting for the elevator." Minako said, Motoki followed her and reluctantly, so did Rei.  
  
"Wait a minute. If someone hit the stop button, then someone is in the elevator."  
  
"I wonder who." Rei said.  
  
"I guess he isn't home." Rei said as the trio turned away from Mamoru's apartment door on the 10th floor. She was relieved that they weren't home, maybe she could think of some fake excuse to hold the 2 off instead of telling them that he was with Usagi.  
  
"Oh all these stairs!" Motoki sighed as he started to walk back down.  
  
"For nothing!" Minako finished.  
  
They trudged down the stairs and they were about to leave when Minako suggested that they ask the elevator guy if Mamoru had shown up and then left.  
  
"I'll ask." Rei volunteered. She walked up to the man while the other two sat down on a couch in the lobby. "Sorry to bother you again, but did you happen to see a man come around here, tall, black hair, blue eyes?"  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"He would've had a girl with him, she's short, and has long blonde hair in a weird hairstyle."  
  
"Nope. I would've remembered that. Were they supposed to be home?"  
  
"Ya. I figured that they would be."  
  
"Maybe they're the ones in the elevator, I know somebody's in there. Go through that door there to the security office, maybe the camera in the elevator is working now."  
  
"Thanks." Rei said politely as she went to the room. She looked on the screen and it took all of her strength to keep herself from falling on the floor and laughing.  
  
"Hey." Motoki poked his head into the room. Rei made a feeble attempt to block the screen but Minako got around her, as did Motoki.  
  
"Oh My Goddess!" Minako exclaimed as she saw the screen. "You knew about this?"  
  
"I didn't know it was like THIS." Rei replied and she told them her story.  
  
  
  
Usagi and Mamoru were sitting against one of the walls of the elevator, still kissing, both wanting to, but not daring to go further. They stopped for a while still holding onto each other. "Will this elevator ever move?"  
  
"It should've started when the power came back on." Mamoru looked around the tiny elevator. "I can't believe it."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"This." He pushed the red button and it popped back out. "We hit the emergency button sometime while we were in the dark I guess." The elevator jerked into motion.  
  
"I can't believe it." Usagi laughed.  
  
  
  
Motoki, Minako, and Rei raced up the ten flights of stairs as they tried to beat the elevator. They had been watching, and saw that Usagi and Mamoru had figured out what was wrong and sent the elevator back in motion. It was now 11:45. Rei, fearing getting blamed on planning this, was trying desperately to stop the 2 blondes before they got to the tenth floor. It was no use, the trio burst out of the stairway a second before the elevator doors opened.  
  
"Surprise!" Minako yelled out.  
  
The couple's eyes widened and they froze. Usagi's arms were around Mamoru's neck and her legs were wrapped around his waist. They had been, of course, kissing again. Minako was smiling, Motoki was grinning, and Rei was redder than her sailor fuku trying to hide her face in her hands.  
  
"What on Earth are you 3 doing here?" Mamoru was still stunned.  
  
"You forgot your wallet at Crown. I was giving the girls a ride home & I decided to stop by and drop it off so you wouldn't worry."  
  
"In Rei's defense, she tried to stop us like, a thousand times." Minako said when she noticed Usagi's shocked gaze focus on Rei.  
  
"Nice hair!" Minako grinned, Mamoru's hair was all scruffy, and Usagi had stray hairs coming down all over the place. They blushed and Usagi tried to change the subject.  
  
"You 3 look out of breath, what did you do, run up the 10 flights of stairs?" Usagi asked, still wrapped around Mamoru.  
  
She was joking, but she was right. The other three nodded. "I was trying to stop them, but once we saw that you got the elevator started again we wanted to know whether or not you stopped it on purpose." Rei said. "So…"  
  
"It was an accident." Mamoru said.  
  
"Well, here's your wallet, we should be getting to our homes." Motoki started. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" He winked and the trio got in the elevator and left.  
  
When they were alone again, Usagi and Mamoru burst into laughter. "That was to uncomfortable." Mamoru laughed. "Usako, can you twist around me so that I'm giving you a piggy-back instead? I can't get my keys in the door."  
  
"Sure." They got into the apartment and Usagi flopped down on the couch.  
  
"Do you want to watch a movie?" He asked as he walked towards where his movies were.  
  
"Can we watch Romeo & Juliet? It's one of my favorites." Usagi pleaded.  
  
"Mine too." He smiled as he put the tape in the VCR. 


	7. Chapter 6

Two To Tango – Part 6  
  
Mamoru and Usagi sat curled up on the couch together. It was at the end of the movie and they were entranced. Usagi was crying because Romeo had just died. As she watched she began to get a feeling of déjà vu, it wasn't because she had seen this movie a thousand times before, she felt as if the next part had happened before… to her.  
  
Mamoru had been watching the movie intently but now his mind seemed to wander, he started imagining Usagi was Juliet. She had a flowing white gown and was kneeling on the ground over him. He was dead! He watched his dream, this scene that was playing out before him. He watched as she took his sword and plunged it into her stomach, falling dead onto his chest. The most shocking thing was when he heard the real Usagi gasp, he could feel her tense up, almost as if she was in pain. "Usako! Are you alright?" He asked alarmed.  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm fine. I must have drifted off to sleep and had the strangest dream. You were lying on the ground dead, but you looked different, you had armor on. I took your sword and stabbed myself, I killed myself!" Usagi started to cry a little. "It seemed so real… oh! I hope you don't think I'm crazy! I would understand though, I mean, it's a pretty messed dream."  
  
"It didn't feel like a dream, it felt like a memory, a flashback."  
  
"Did you have it too?"  
  
"Yes I did." Mamoru replied, his voice sounded a little shaky. "Did it hurt?"  
  
"Indescribable." Usagi said. "But it was only for a second, everything went black and then I woke up."  
  
"Well, I say we turn off the movie, it's kind of creeping me out right now."  
  
"Agreed." Usagi yawned.  
  
"Here, you can sleep on my bed, I'll take the couch." Mamoru said as he picked up the sleepy girl and laid her down on his bed. "You can wear this." He gave he a T-shirt that appeared to be to big for even him, she quickly changed as he waited outside the room and then he came back to get his own things. After he finished setting up the couch for himself he came back to kiss her goodnight. She was shaking. "Are you cold? Do you want another blanket?"  
  
"No, it's not that… stay Mamo-chan. I'm scared. Don't leave me." She pleaded, her big blue eyes were wide and they stared into his. He could never leave her, especially now. "Please." She grabbed onto his hand.  
  
"Okay Usako, don't worry, I'm here." He climbed into the bed with her and held her in his arms, she instantly cuddled up to him and they just lay there until they both fell asleep.  
  
Usagi's dreams were filled with lots of other flashbacks. Including one that was very interesting to her; one where she was dancing with Mamoru. Was this all real? Did this really happen? Did they know each other in a previous life? After they danced they went out to a balcony. He said that he'd have to go fight, they kissed and he left. She then flashed to another time, about a day or 2 later. Her mother's kingdom was under attack, and Mamoru or Endyimon, as he was called, came to fight for them. Where was this? Did she live on… the moon? She relived that same scene she had earlier when they were watching the movie, and woke up in a cold sweat. She saw him die this time, and all of her friends.  
  
Mamoru woke up a second after Usagi. "Did you just dream the same thing I did?"  
  
"I think so. I'll be right back." She walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She splashed some water on her face while thinking, "Is this real? Was I a moon princess? Is that why I'm sailor moon? Thank goodness there is no fighting right now, I don't think I could handle it. And Mamoru… he was a prince, Prince Endyimon of Earth. Is he Tuxedo Kamen? He is, I know he is." Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.  
  
"Usako? Are you alright?" Mamoru's voice was slightly muffled through the door.  
  
She opened the door and went eagerly to his waiting arms. "You're Tuxedo Kamen. I can't believe I never realized it. I guess you know who I am."  
  
"I figured it out when I realized how much you and your friends look like the sailor senshi. Not to mention the month when Sailor Moon had a cast on her wrist." He smiled. "Do you remember everything?" He asked.  
  
"Yes. It all came back in my dreams. You're Endyimon, & I'm Serenity." She smiled at him as she remembered their previous life together.  
  
"We can only wonder what will happen to us next. Although I'd rather not right now." Mamoru gave a little laugh.  
  
"Me neither. Let's go back to sleep."  
  
And they did. Neither of them had any more dreams of the past. 


	8. Chapter 7

Two To Tango – Part 7  
  
Usagi woke up to an empty bed. She stumbled into the kitchen where Mamoru, already dressed, was making breakfast. "*Yawn* What time is it?"  
  
"It's 12:30!" Mamoru laughed. "I was wondering when you would wake up."  
  
"Whatcha makin'?" She asked curiously as she hopped up on the counter beside him.  
  
"It depends, how do you like your eggs?"  
  
"Sunny side up."  
  
"Of course." Mamoru laughed.  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"It's just that you're always so cheery and optimistic, sunny side up seems to suit you."  
  
"Considering I'm from the moon." She smiled coyly.  
  
"Oh, of course." He smiled back. "So, today's the party."  
  
"Yeah, why do you not seem excited?"  
  
"I don't know, maybe after everything I've remembered, everything I've- we've been through, impressing an old dance instructor doesn't seem all that important."  
  
"I meant to ask… why do you want to keep dancing a secret? Why do you bother doing something like this if you don't want anyone to know about it?"  
  
"You won't believe me if I tell you."  
  
"Try me."  
  
"You." Mamoru said simply. Usagi had a confused smile frozen on her face so he decided to continue. "Dancing reminded me of you, it made me happy. That's one thing I remember about when my foster parents would teach me, there were always lots of roses, & the roses reminded me of the little blonde girl, you." He smiled. "When I was younger I used to pretend that I'd find you someday and that we could go dancing."  
  
Usagi smiled brightly at him. "That's sweet. But why don't you want to dance tonight?"  
  
"I still want to dance tonight, but to be honest, I don't really like that crowd." He grinned. "They're kind of snobs." He added in a whisper as if one of them were in the room. Usagi giggled.  
  
  
  
"Good morning! Or should I say afternoon?" Ami said as Usagi walked over to the group of four girls sitting on the steps of Hikawa Shrine.  
  
"You're late Usagi." Rei grinned.  
  
"I overslept."  
  
"Why? Didn't get enough sleep last night?" Minako added with a wink.  
  
"I'll bet she didn't." Makoto stifled a giggle.  
  
"Me too." Usagi winked. The four other girls just stared at her. She loved playing little mind games like this. And she delighted in the thought that at this moment, Mamoru was doing the same thing with Motoki. "Honestly! I hardly slept last night."  
  
"…" The girls continued staring.  
  
"I kept having flashbacks. I remember our past lives." Usagi started excitedly. "I remember the Silver Millennium!"  
  
"You do?" Luna surprised her by hopping up on her shoulder.  
  
"You 4 were my guardians, members of my court, and princesses of your respective planets. I was Princess Serenity of the moon, and…"  
  
"What?" Makoto asked curiously.  
  
"Mamoru was Prince Endyimon of Earth." She finished.  
  
"Interesting. But we're more interested in something else." Ami said, catching everyone off guard.  
  
"Yeah. What's up with you and Mamoru-san?" Minako inched closer to Usagi.  
  
The other girls leaned in to hear her response. Luna and Artemis, who had missed earlier when the girls had discussed it, looked at each other in confusion. "Nothing."  
  
"Oh come on Usagi-chan."  
  
"Are you 2 a couple?"  
  
"No comment."  
  
"Do you care to tell us what you were doing in his apartment last night?"  
  
"Not to mention the elevator and the hallway."  
  
"And the mall the other day!"  
  
"I plead the fifth." This was going great. But her mind kept wandering, Mamoru said that she was supposed to meet him at Crown at 4:30 today. He said that he had a surprise for her.  
  
"Well tell us something!" Minako begged.  
  
"Mamoru is Tuxedo Kamen." She said with a straight face as if she had just stated that the sky was blue. Of course, if she had said the sky was blue her friends wouldn't be breathing statues. "Is it really that hard to believe?"  
  
"Actually, it makes perfect sense, with him being a prince and all, but it's still surprising." Ami said.  
  
"Are we going to go shopping or what? I've gotta leave at 4:30."  
  
"Really? What are you doing at 4:30?"  
  
"My mom wants me to help with dinner since I'm never home." Usagi was lying through her teeth, but they bought it.  
  
"Let's go!"  
  
  
  
"Hey Mamoru!"  
  
"Hello Motoki!" Mamoru smiled as he sat down on his usual stool at the counter.  
  
Motoki was already grinning. "You seem like you're in a good mood. Did you have a good night?"  
  
"Indescribable."  
  
"Really? Why don't you try?" He was still grinning, but there was also something intimidating in his voice.  
  
"I don't think I should." Mamoru grinned back.  
  
"Oh come on Mamoru. What is going on between you two, Usagi-chan is a sweet girl. It's a really rotten thing if you're just playing with her heart."  
  
Mamoru was surprised at his friend's concern. "Don't worry. I care about Usagi, I really do. And nothing like that happened last night."  
  
"Good to hear." Motoki smiled. "Is it just me, or are you falling for her?"  
  
"I'm not falling for her… I already did." Mamoru smiled back. 'Three times.' He thought to himself.  
  
Motoki left to get the orders of some customers and returned 10 minutes later.  
  
"So, where is she now? You've been together so much lately it's weird to see you alone."  
  
"She's out shopping with the girls." Mamoru sighed. "I sure don't envy her. Those girls must be driving her crazy trying to find out about us."  
  
"I want to know too. I mean, only a few months ago you hated each other, and now… you're almost always together, every chance you get. You're in a perpetual good mood like her, and she's doing better in school, I hardly believed Ami-chan when she told me that."  
  
"Can you keep a secret?" Mamoru asked. Motoki nodded his head up and down. "I'm in a good mood because I've found the person I've been searching for my entire life. It's a long story, but there's no way we could have kept ourselves from meeting."  
  
"Destiny?"  
  
"I'd say so. But anyway, do you know what time it is?"  
  
"Umm… It's 4:37."  
  
"Okay. I've got 5 minutes."  
  
"Five minutes 'til what?"  
  
"Until Usagi gets here, I told her to meet me at 4:30."  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"It's a surprise. I'd tell you, but I'm going to make it up as I go along, I don't have anything planned."  
  
  
  
"How about this?" Minako asked as she held an orange shirt in front of Usagi.  
  
"Nah. I don't look that good in orange."  
  
"Yeah, she looks better in pink or white." Ami agreed.  
  
"You should buy that shirt Minako-chan, it'd look good on you." Rei said. Makoto nodded her head in agreement.  
  
"I think I will!" Minako squealed with anticipation about buying more clothes.  
  
Usagi and the other girls laughed at their excited friend. "Minako-chan, you sure are-" as she said her sentence she glanced over at the clock on the wall of the store. "Ay! I'm gonna be late!" She picked up the clothes that she was buying and ran to the counter. Ami and Makoto went with her as Rei and Minako called goodbye and continued looking for clothes. "Why didn't anyone tell me that it was 4:20?" She asked Ami & Makoto as she paid for her stuff.  
  
"We don't have watches."  
  
"I still have to stop off at home and drop this stuff off!" Usagi panicked, forgetting that she was talking out loud.  
  
"I thought you were going home for supper. What do you mean that you have to 'stop off' at home?"  
  
"Nothing." She smiled innocently before grabbing her bags and dashing like a madman out of the store and down the street. Muttering something like "He's gonna kill me!"  
  
"Why is she trying to hide it?"  
  
"I know. She's so obviously going out somewhere with Mamoru-san." With that they looked at each other and shrugged before rejoining their other 2 friends.  
  
  
  
Usagi ran into the house and up to her room, ripping tags off clothes with her teeth as she went. Surprisingly it didn't take her long to figure out a good outfit and she was out the door again and sprinting down the street towards Crown.  
  
  
  
The familiar sound of the entrance bell tinkling was followed by another familiar sound. The sounds of hurried footsteps and someone gasping for air led to Usagi who immediately ran up to Motoki at the counter. "Oniisan! Have you seen Mamo-ch- I mean Mamoru-chan around here? I was supposed to meet him at 4:30 but I'm late as usual." She asked still panting.  
  
"He left 3 minutes ago, he said something about not waiting around any longer and just walked out." Motoki said.  
  
"Oh." She was so upset she could hardly hold it in. She couldn't imagine how mad Mamoru must be to leave. 'He must've had something scheduled for 4:30 and I blew it by being late.' She was feeling guilty for making him wait, worried that he wouldn't forgive her, and angry that he would just go and not even care about whether or not she showed up a minute later. She was a second away from bursting into tears.  
  
Motoki seemed at a loss for things to do. She was so upset, she looked like she was about to cry, he did the only thing he could think of and gave the area in front of his foot a swift kick.  
  
"Ow!" Mamoru whispered as he punched his best friend's foot. "Fooled you!" He popped up from behind the counter with his arms held out. He laughed at the shocked look on Usagi's face.  
  
"Mamo-chan!" She cried angrily, she didn't understand how he could've thought such a mean trick would be funny. Tears started streaming down her face.  
  
"Good one." Motoki said sarcastically to his friend. Mamoru was stunned and his eyes wide with fear. He instantly had stopped laughing when she had yelled. Neither of the 2 guys could really understand how such a seemingly innocent joke could go so wrong.  
  
Usagi turned and ran out the door, 'How could they do that to me? Motoki is like a brother to me, and Mamoru…' She was humiliated. 


	9. Chapter 8

Two To Tango – Part 8  
  
"Usako!" Mamoru called as she fled the building and down the outside staircase. He hopped the counter in a flash and was running down the street after her. With his long legs he quickly caught up with her. "Usako please!" He grabbed a hold of her arm and spun her around to face him. "Usako I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to turn out that way. It was a joke and it was supposed to make you laugh." He smiled but she didn't see it because she was still staring down at the ground.  
  
"After all we've been through… you should know me better than that." She said the words quietly, not harshly at all, but they still stung Mamoru. "Maybe I overreacted, but I don't feel like I did. There were other people there, and you really scared me. I thought that you were really mad at me, I thought that I had ruined your plans for the evening because I was late." She finally raised her head to meet his eyes. "And worst of all, I thought that I had lost you. I thought that I had blown my chance with you & that you'd never forgive me." She gave him a weak smile. "I know it was just supposed to be a joke, but can you understand why it wasn't one to me?"  
  
He didn't reply he just grabbed her and hugged her tight, afraid that she might run off if he didn't show her how sorry he was. She hugged him back and they stood there with their arms around each other as if they were in their own would and didn't notice as people passed them on the busy Tokyo street. He kissed the top of her head before he started talking. "Do you want to go now?"  
  
"Hm? What?" Usagi looked up at him. "Go where?"  
  
"Out. Like we planned. Remember?"  
  
"Oh, of course!" Her face lit up.  
  
  
  
"Close your eyes." Mamoru instructed as they sat in his car. She did as he said and he tied a blindfold around her eyes. "No peeking!" He teased.  
  
"I won't!" She said innocently.  
  
He led her to his apartment although she didn't know that was where she was. He gave her the dress that he'd bought the other day and she changed in the bathroom, only taking off the blindfold after the door was closed.  
  
"I wonder what he's up to." She said out loud as she got changed. "I'm ready! Can I come out now? Do I have to put the blindfold back on?"  
  
"You can come out, but close your eyes." Mamoru replied as he watched the doorknob slowly turn and Usagi step warily out of the room. He smiled as she took small steps in the direction where she last heard his voice. "Usako! Psst! Over here!"  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Stop. You can open your eyes now."  
  
Her eyes fluttered open and she gazed around the room in amazement. "Mamo- chan this is gorgeous!" Candles all around were lighting the room and on the table two places were set with a big bouquet of perfect red roses in the center.  
  
"I was going to take you out to dinner, but I had a feeling that you would like this more. Was I right?"  
  
"As always!" she exclaimed as she ran to him. "Oh! You're amazing Mamo- chan, and these roses… they're perfect!"  
  
"Well, don't give me too much credit for the roses," Mamoru laughed. "I didn't buy them or anything." He reached inside the jacket of his tux and produced another perfect red rose.  
  
Usagi squealed with delight as he handed her the rose and pulled out her chair so she could sit down. "Thank you." She said and he took his seat across from her. "What are we having for dinner?"  
  
"It's a surprise. So, how was your day shopping with the girls? I saw that you bought some new clothes."  
  
"Yeah. It was interesting. I played a few mind games with them, it was hilarious."  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"I told them I overslept and when Minako-chan & Mako-chan joked about me not getting enough sleep last night, I agreed with them. And I winked."  
  
"That's hilarious."  
  
"I also told them about how we remembered everything, but they just brushed it off, even Luna wanted to know about us! But anyway, how did your afternoon with Motoki-chan go?"  
  
"Not as planned."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, it started off right, but Motoki started acting like a big brother and being protective of you. So, I had to calm him down and reassure him that I wasn't kidding around and that I was serious about you."  
  
"Hahaha. He really is like an older brother, and he has the same hair color as Shingo, so he could actually pass as my older brother if I ever needed him to." She laughed. "Although I can't think of why it would be necessary."  
  
There was a knock at the door that interrupted their conversation. "Aha! The food's here!" Mamoru jumped up and ran to the door.  
  
"Shrimp!" Usagi shrieked as Mamoru put the shrimp and noodles on her plate. "Just how much do you know about me, Mr. Chiba? How did you know that I like shrimp?"  
  
"I have my sources. Eat up, I have the dessert staying cold in the freezer."  
  
"Don't worry, shrimp don't last for long around me."  
  
Mamoru laughed.  
  
"By the way, what are we doing after dinner?"  
  
Mamoru grinned and winked at her.  
  
"Wait, don't tell me. It's a surprise!"  
  
"Bingo!" 


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, not me. .-_-. *sob*  
  
This was a fun chapter to write! Like you may have read in the review section, today I tried sushi for the first time & I liked it. I hate fish, & luckily, the only one that I had that had any trace of fish in it was one with this dehydrated powdered fish mixed with sugar in it. (I couldn't even taste it.) Plus, I listened to the Tango as I wrote the dancing part, so I could imagine the dancing easier. Funny huh? For a fic about dancing, it has very little dancing in it. That's because 1 of my favorite shows, 'Dancing at the Palais' rarely has shows where people do the tango, & I didn't want to fall into that stereotypical version of the tango with the people doing the same thing: going back & forth with roses in their mouths. (I've never seen the tango like that other in the movies, it is really so much more than that, & I'm going to learn it someday! Enjoy the story! ^- ^)  
  
Two to Tango – Part 9  
  
Mamoru looked over the table and couldn't help but smile as he watched Usagi. She was scraping her bowl for the last of her ice cream, but trying to do it nicely so that she wouldn't look like a pig since she was wearing such a beautiful dress & in such a romantic room. He chuckled & she looked up at him with a puzzled look on her face. "You crack me up! Honestly Usako, if you could see you right now you'd be laughing too." He laughed more as she tried to figure out what he just said and then panicked & half- threw her bowl to the table before a drop of the ice cream could fall to her lap.  
  
Folding her hands in her lap innocently, she looked up at him. "Okay, so where are we going?"  
  
"Fine, I'll tell you." Mamoru began as he blew out all of the candles. "Since you already have a dress, it would be a pity not to go dancing, and since you are the reason I started dancing & I'm the reason you started dancing, I figured that's what we'd do." He pulled out her chair so she could get up, then taking her hand; he walked with her to the door.  
  
"Ooh! Yay!" Usagi squealed. "Wait, don't we need our jackets?" She paused before leaving the apartment.  
  
"Nope, we're not leaving the building. Didn't you know? There's a ballroom right here in my apartment block."  
  
"I didn't know." She giggled & snuggled up to him as he put his arm around her.  
  
  
  
"Wow!" Usagi gazed around the glamorous ballroom. "Are there always this many people here?" She asked amazed.  
  
"It gets pretty busy sometimes." He smiled at her. "Shall we?" He motioned to the dance floor.  
  
"But there's so many people!" She said.  
  
"Come on Usako, look on the list! Look what song is playing next!"  
  
"It's the tango!"  
  
"Yep. Please?"  
  
"Okay Mamo-chan!" She could feel her heart beat faster as many feelings passed through her. Excitement & fear were most predominant. What if I screw up? We haven't practiced it very much. Usagi was forced to put her fears aside as the song ended and Mamoru walked her onto the dance floor.  
  
"Just relax, pretend we're upstairs in my apartment." He smiled at her. "You'll be great, I believe in you."  
  
'You trust me so much… I hope I don't let you down.' "Arigatou." She smiled up at him.  
  
The drummer banged his drumsticks together 4 times to establish the beat & the band began to play. "1,2,3,4. 1,2,3,4. 1,2,3,4…" Usagi repeatedly said to herself.  
  
"You're doing good Usako. Look up at me, not at your feet, & count in your head & you'll be great."  
  
"Okay." She glanced around at other people in the room.  
  
"Don't mind them. Listen to the music, feel the rhythm, & let it move you." Mamoru coached her along.  
  
Usagi focused and they danced lightly around the room, oblivious to everyone else, in their own world. They moved their feet in perfect unison, and in perfect time to the beat.  
  
'1,2,3,4. 1,2,3,4.' Usagi counted in her head. She moved & swiveled her hips to the music, but making sure to be on the beat like Mamoru. She didn't even realize ¾ of the room staring at them as they danced around. She liked this dance; it was her favorite. She loved the fast, fluid, & sensual movements. Plus, she loved her not-to-revealing-but-super-sexy dress. It was a beautiful silverish-white that shimmered in the dimly lit room as she danced, & the bottom was cut diagonally, from below her right knee to halfway up her left thigh.  
  
She was entranced by Mamoru too, he was wearing entirely black. He looked good in black; it went well with his hair & his dark blue eyes. She stared into his eyes & he stared into hers, concentrating only on the music & each other's bodies as they moved as one.  
  
The music got a bit slower and Usagi counted in her head. '1.2.3.4.1.2.3.4.' She danced around him, slow, fluid movements. '1.2.3.4.1.' Then the beat picked up again as she made her way around to face him again. He took hold over her waist & her hand & they carried on dancing. The music was still changing, the notes were getting higher & the song would soon be over.  
  
"Get ready." Mamoru prepared her.  
  
"I am." Usagi smiled back.  
  
They turned in a circle & ended in a dip with Mamoru's arms securely around her. Big smiles broke across both of their faces and he spun her out and they bowed to the entire room, which was clapping for them.  
  
Usagi's heart hammered in her chest; it was so exhilarating. "Mamo-chan." She whispered, a little out of breath, but ecstatic. "This was fun… I could definitely get used to this!"  
  
"Yeah, me too." He walked over to her & they kissed passionately as the crowd cheered. A new song started, & the danced all night long.  
  
  
  
"Usako, were you serious earlier… would you like to keep on dancing… in competitions & things like that?" Mamoru asked her once they were finally alone. They were lying down on the big, green couch in his apartment.  
  
"I would… if I could always be with you, Mamo-chan." Usagi replied. "Why?"  
  
"I'm just thinking… maybe… I should give Edwards a call, we could be better with a little coaching." Usagi looked up at him. "Imagine… we could be champions." He smiled at her.  
  
"Mamo-chan, do you really mean it!" Usagi kissed him. 'Champions…' she thought. "But, then you couldn't keep it a secret anymore."  
  
"I know." He held her closer. "I don't want to keep it a secret anymore… not now that I've got you with me." They drifted off to sleep.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Konnichi wa minna-san! Arigatou for reading the story! This isn't the end though, there is still one more small part left, an epilogue I guess you could call it. Check it out please & then tell me what you think, write a review or email me at pepperpepper16@hotmail.com. 


	11. Epilogue

1 Two to Tango – Epilogue  
  
"Can we put on some sports, or a game show, or a cartoon, or ANYTHING other than this?" A boy inside the arcade complained.  
  
"NO WAY!!!" Six people turned on him.  
  
"But it's dancing!" The boy whined.  
  
"SHH!!!" They said. "Buzz off kid!" Minako shouted before focussing anxiously back on the screen.  
  
"But it's in English!" The kid dared to complain again.  
  
"That's it!" Makoto sprang up from her seat & chased the boy screaming out of the Arcade before sitting back down & staring at the TV again.  
  
"And the world champions are…" The TV announcer began.  
  
"Come on! Come on!" They chanted.  
  
"Mamoru & Usagi Chiba from Tokyo, Japan."  
  
"THEY WON!" Minako jumped up and down.  
  
"We know!" Rei laughed. "Go Usagi!"  
  
"Wahoo!" Motoki cheered.  
  
"Way to go!" Ami & Makoto shouted to their friends on the screen.  
  
Minako grabbed Motoki & began dancing around the room.  
  
"Wait! Minako-chan! What are they saying?!" Rei called to her & turned up the volume louder.  
  
"Unbelievable, world champions at 19 & 22 years of age." The male announcer said as Mamoru & Usagi danced the final dance of the night.  
  
"What's even more unbelievable is that Usagi has only been dancing for 3 years, & Mamoru is the only partner she's ever had." The woman announcer said.  
  
"You know, I was talking to them earlier & they told me some remarkable news… It seems that they just found out last week that Usagi is pregnant with their 1st child. It's due on June 30th, her 20th birthday, & their 2nd wedding anniversary."  
  
"WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Minako cheered loudly & jumped around the room.  
  
"Minako-chan! What is it?! What did they say?!" Ami asked anxiously.  
  
"Usagi's pregnant! They're going to have a baby!" She screamed, and they all erupted into more cheers as Mamoru & Usagi finished their dance on the television screen.  
  
"Mamo-chan…" Usagi whispered. "Looks like we made it. Our dream… has come true. It may have taken us longer than we planned…" she thought back to the battles they fought. "But, we're here."  
  
"Usako…" He smiled. "Looks like we beat the odds, huh?"  
  
"Can we be together, for always?"  
  
"Eternally. Aishiteiru." Mamoru whispered.  
  
"Aishiteiru." She smiled back as the song ended. She put her hand on her still-flat belly, "Eternally." She repeated and they kissed.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Doumo Arigatou! I hope you enjoyed my story! Listening to music always helps me to write. Just for a little background info: I was listening to 'Como la Flor' by Selena while writing about Minako, Motoki, Ami, Makoto, & Rei, and 'You're Still the One' by Shania Twain when Usagi & Mamoru are talking. (You can really tell… look at the lyrics & then look at some of the things Usa & Mamo say. ^-^ hehehe!) 


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